Other writing

Turn on the news, and watch the devastation caused by the latest hurricane or wildfire to rip through the United States or tsunami to hit Asia. What’s your response? Do you change the channel? Do you well up with emotion and donate whatever you can to a relief organization? Do you start to envision a way to build sturdier houses or encourage people to move to higher ground?

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FORTUNE — Much was made of last year’s temporary repeal of the estate tax. Thanks to legislation passed in 2001, the tax on money left to heirs fell from a top rate of 45% in 2009 to 0% in 2010. That one-year free pass has been withdrawn: The tax was reinstated on Dec. 17 in a deal between Republicans and the White House. For the next two years the tax will return with a much higher exemption level ($5 million for individuals, $10 million for couples) than before and a lower rate (35%) than just about anyone expected.

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You’d imagine that stars of the caliber of Aretha Franklin and Prince would have access to the very best things in life. And that would include financial advisors. But while we know about the Queen of Soul’s insistence on being paid in cash for her shows and Prince’s vast Paisley Park estate and other homes that were valued in the tens of millions, it appears that neither had the right people looking after their money. Both died without wills to direct their fortunes.

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• Tax time: Saving money at home
• Grab a Second-Home Bargain
• More Money For Your Kids

• The Long Shot (The Business of Tiger Woods)
• UBS and the Diamond Smuggler

• Rest in Wealth: The Ins and Outs of Estate Planning
• Here’s What the Savviest Philanthropists Know About Giving Back
• Who Can You Trust in the Cryptocurrency Economy?
• Socially Responsible Investing Sounds Appealing, but Does it Actually Work?

• Is Wine a Smart Investment?

• Anger Over Bankers’ Pay Obscures More Critical Issues
• An Investors’ Guide To Art Market Pain and Opportunity
• Discomfort at US Medical Schools
• As losses mount, ‘Davos Man’ loses his swagger
• Credit Rating Agencies Under Fire Again
• Promising Security, U.S. Annuities Business Takes on a New Life
• U.S. Wealth Managers Try New Strategies
• Wealth Managers Turn to Derivatives for Protection From Market Risks

• The Admiral’s Quarters

• The New Math
• Good Stuff! Giving It Away
• A New Kid Targets… Youth
• Charting a New Course

• Jay McInerney Profile: Time to Turn the Tables
• Bruce Davidson Profile: Tunnel Visions
• Desmond Tutu Interview: Donors to Africa Urged to ‘Think Local’
• F. Scott Fitzgerald Story: No Second Act
• Mathew Bogdanos Profile: The History Hunter
• Dun Gifford Profile: Arch-foe of the Food Extremists
• Cesar Pelli Profile: ‘We Have a Great Deal of Fun Doing What We Do’
• Frank Gehry: How to Immortalise Vodka
• Greg Norman: Eighteen Holes and a Home of Your Own
• Guillermo Cabrera Infante: A Literary Life Swathed in Smoke
• David Rabe Review: In the Company of Men
• The UN Takes Kidman and Crew to Heart

• Gordon Moore Interview: The Patient Pursuit of Progress
• Bernie Marcus Interview: ‘I Wanted Something Universal’
• Rapid Relief Where it Counts
• A Fresh Approach to the Art of Healing
• Putting a Face to Human Capital
• No Entrepreneur is an Island These Days
• Retirement Beckons for a Generation that once Thought it had Found Eternal Youth
• Victoria Maldonado: Cash and Kin
• Artist Pension Fund: Fund Frees Artists From Market Vagaries

• Running With The Devil